Beyonce Performs at the Super Bowl: Why Jay-Z Didn't Join Her on Stage

Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana.Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Beyonce performed a medley of hits during Super Bowl XLVII, including her No. 1 smash "Crazy in Love." Though the track features a verse from her husband, Jay-Z, the rapper decided at the last minute not to join his wife on stage in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb. 3.

"He wanted that to be her moment and didn't want to take away from it," a source close to the couple tells Us Weekly. "She had been working her ass off."

Instead, the 43-year-old hip-hop mogul watched his wife perform from a special area with their 12-month-old daughter, Blue Ivy, and other family members. (The night prior, Jay-Z surprised fans when he joined Justin Timberlake on stage to perform their latest smash, "Suit & Tie," during a DirecTV bash.)

Though Jay-Z steered clear of the spotlight, Beyonce did reunite with Destiny's Child members KellyRowland and Michelle Williams to sing "Bootylicious" and "Independent Women Part 1." Rowland, 31, and Williams, 32, also danced to Beyonce's solo smash, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."

(During rehearsals, the girl group nixed performing their modern classic "Bills, Bills, Bills" and their latest single, "Nuclear," an insider tells Us.)

A Rubin Singer-clad Beyonce, 31, also sang "Til the End of Time," "Baby Boy" and "Halo" during the electrifying halftime show. Shortly after she left the stage, the power went out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome; it took 34 minutes to be restored.

"It feels good to know the hard work paid off. It's a live television show. It's the biggest show in America," Beyonce told OMG! Insider following her performance. "There's so many things that could happen and God was on my side, so I'm very, very happy that it went well and the power went out after."